The Gothic period was tremendously culturally
productive, in painting, sculpture, architecture and illuminated
manuscripts. These
art-works are complex, fraught with religious fervor andsymbolism.
Biblical stories were told and retold continuously--painted,
sermonized, allegorized, embellished, creating a convincing and
mysterious belief system.

The Gothic style of painting started in Italy
and quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe. Gothic paintings are
darkly mystical, infused with an ethereal emotional intensity. The
mysticism of theMiddle
Agesimparts
a sense of uniqueness and wonder to Gothic art. Painters such
as Hieronymus
Bosch, had a taste for the poetic and his use of
symbols are secretive hints and glances into the mysterious world that
lies behind the painted one. According to Medieval historian,
Julia De Wolf Addison, "In medieval art, the
beauty of line, the sense of horror, and the voluptuous spirit, are all
more or less subservient to the light-hearted buoyancy of a keen sense
of fun. To illustrate this point, I wish to call the attention of the
reader to the wit of the monastic scribes during the Gothic period. Who
could look at the little animals which are found tucked away almost out
of sight in the flowery margins of manyilluminated
manuscripts, without seeing that the artist himself must have
been amused at their pranks, and intended others to be so? One can
picture a gray-hooded brother, chuckling alone at his own wit,
carefully tracing a jolly little grotesque, and then stealing softly to
the alcove of some congenial spirit, and in a whisper inviting his
friend to come and see the satire which he has carefully introduced: "A
perfect portrait of the Bishop, only with claws instead of legs! So
very droll! And dear brother, while you are here, just look at the
expression of this Page 352 little rabbit's ears, while he listens to
the bombastic utterance of this monkey who wears a stole!"

The
International Gothic style of paintings was a reflection of the
transformation that was taking place in Europe, the change from the
Dark Ages to a more enlightened, tolerant society. According to
Historian Hendrik van Loon, "People were tremendously alive. Great
states were being founded. Large centres of commerce were being
developed. High above the turretted towers of the castle and the peaked
roof of the town-hall, rose the slender spire of the newly built Gothic
cathedral. Everywhere the world was in motion. The high and mighty
gentlemen of the city-hall, who had just become conscious of their own
strength (by way of their recently acquired riches) were struggling for
more power with their feudal masters. "

With the
triumph of Christianity, Gothic artists aspired to reawaken the divine
spirit of holy figures rather than depict their physical
qualities. Their unique style is a combination
of frontal simplicity, truth to nature, harmonious unity
together with precision in details. The use of costly
materials such as gold, precious stones and ivory indicates the degree
of wealth that was common during this period, and attests to the
sophistication of the Gothic culture.

Major
Gothic Painters
Gothic style represented early Christian culture and values as well as
courtly splendor. Most prominently featured
are the holy symbols of the Christian faith

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